Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Benjamin B. Phillips, James M. Bullock, Kevin J. Gaston, Karen A. Hudson-Edwards, Meg Bamford, Dave Cruse, Lynn Dicks, Carmen Falagan, Claire Wallace, Juliet L. Osborne
Summary: The study found that pollinators in road verges are exposed to various forms of pollution, with noise, turbulence, dust, and metal pollution affecting their densities and foraging behavior. Turbulence and metals had significant impacts, while noise and dust did not show apparent effects. Management strategies for pollinator conservation in road verges should prioritize areas further away from road edges and roads with lower traffic densities.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Cheryl S. Brehme, Jeff A. Tracey, Brittany A. I. Ewing, Michael T. Hobbs, Alan E. Launer, Tritia A. Matsuda, Esther M. Cole Adelsheim, Robert N. Fisher
Summary: The study showed that migrating adult California tiger salamanders typically move a short distance along barrier fencing before turning back or giving up, with decreasing probability of finding a passage as distance from the tunnel system increases. Salamanders changed directions more frequently and spent more time along mesh fencing, indicating that a maximum distance of 12.5 meters between passages along migration routes should allow for efficient road crossings for most adult salamanders.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Daniel Klich, Magdalena Perlinska-Teresiak, Hendrik Bluhm, Tobias Kuemmerle, Marlena Wojciechowska, Wanda Olech
Summary: Traffic mortality poses a serious risk to endangered species like the European bison, especially those in small populations, with high mobility, and occupying fragmented habitats. Our study in Poland, which has a significant population of free-ranging European bison, reveals an increasing trend of bison mortality on roads and railways. The high traffic volumes on a national road passing through the core range of the Zachodniopomorskie population significantly contribute to the majority of reported mortality. Reintroduction efforts should prioritize roadless areas and avoid busy roads and railways to reduce the risk to both bison and people.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Petra Janeckova, Klara Rehounkova, Kamila Vitovcova, Lenka Sebelikova, Karel Prach
Summary: This study assessed the effectiveness and characteristics of spontaneous restoration of vegetation on road verges in the Czech Republic, central Europe, revealing that successional age, altitude, substrate texture, and surrounding forest area significantly influenced species composition. Spontaneous restoration could be considered as a cost-effective and conservationally valuable approach for road verge restoration.
LAND DEGRADATION & DEVELOPMENT
(2021)
Article
Zoology
Daniel F. Ramalho, Mauricio Silveira, Ludmilla M. S. Aguiar
Summary: In the Brazilian savanna, roads have impacts on bat activity and diversity, with bats potentially avoiding foraging near roads. Season, vegetation index, and distance to water also influence bat activity.
JOURNAL OF MAMMALOGY
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Robert Czubaszek, Agnieszka Wysocka-Czubaszek, Piotr Banaszuk, Grzegorz Zajac, Martin J. Wassen
Summary: Maintenance of urban green infrastructure generates biomass for biogas production. This study investigates the effect of cutting time and substrate preservation method on methane yield from urban grass. Results show higher methane yields with wet fermentation technology. Electricity and heat production are influenced by cutting time, preservation method, and AD technology. CO2 emissions can be significantly reduced by utilizing grass from roadside verges in biogas plants. Biogas production from grass waste in wet fermentation technology is stable. Cutting time and preservation method do not affect the AD process.
Article
Economics
Luca De Benedictis, Vania Licio, Anna Maria Pinna
Summary: This paper examines the historical influence of the road system built during the Roman Empire on modern infrastructure in Italy. The empirical analysis shows that modern Italian transport infrastructure largely follows the path of the consular trajectories established by the network of Roman roads. These ancient roads, paved and connecting the extremes of the Italian peninsula, have endured over time and serve as the foundational physical capital for the current transport network. Overall, this research highlights the enduring legacy of the Roman road system and its role in determining the causal effect of modern infrastructure.
JOURNAL OF REGIONAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ana Galantinho, Sara Santos, Sofia Eufrazio, Carmo Silva, Filipe Carvalho, Russell Alpizar-Jara, Antonio Mira
Summary: Roads may hinder animal movement, but properly managed road verges can provide refuge and corridors for small mammals. This study aimed to fill the knowledge gap by comparing the movement patterns of wood mice in a road and in a roadless area. The results show that wood mice tend to avoid the road, prefer using road verges, and have more road crossings after firebreak openings and near taller shrubs. Roadside vegetation management plays a significant role in shaping these movement patterns.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Ergonomics
Abdurrasheed Olayinka Sirajudeen, Teik Hua Law, Shaw Voon Wong, Fauzan Mohd Jakarni, Choy Peng Ng
Summary: The study found that there is a reverse U-shaped relationship between per capita GDP and the DPI ratio. Factors such as improvements in road quality, motorcycle ownership, urbanization level, infant mortality rate, and population age composition contribute to this relationship.
JOURNAL OF SAFETY RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
R. Fekete, H. Bak, O. Vincze, K. Suveges, V. A. Molnar
Summary: The study found that salt-tolerant plants are widespread along roads in Hungary, with salt concentration significantly affecting their germination rates. Factors such as traffic intensity, the presence of other halophytes, and the species' distribution in the surrounding landscape have a positive impact on the occurrence of these plants.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Muriel Deparis, Nicolas Legay, Francis Isselin-Nondedeu, Sebastien Bonthoux
Summary: This study assessed the effects of urban uses and linear structural elements on the distribution of invasive alien plants in a French city. The results showed that urban use was the most significant variable, with fine-scale spatial analysis and detailed urban classification playing critical roles in understanding species distribution.
Article
Plant Sciences
Sophia Carmel Turner, Karen Joan Esler, Jesse Machiel Kalwij
Summary: Exotic plant species richness and composition have significantly increased in and around montane road verges over the past 10 years, particularly in the low to mid-elevational range. Differences in species composition between road verges and adjacent hinterland were observed in 2007 but disappeared by 2017, indicating that montane road verges serve as effective conduits for the dispersal of exotic species.
APPLIED VEGETATION SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Changxi You, Panagiotis Tsiotras
Summary: This article explores the stages of high-speed cornering maneuvers and designs a switch-mode control strategy using a combination of linear and nonlinear control techniques. By analyzing conditions for fast trajectory replanning, optimal speed profile generation, and tracking control, the proposed approach is validated in simulation and experimental results on a fifth-scale robotic vehicle.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON CONTROL SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Hongyang Liu, Mingrui Du, Boyang Zhang, Zhibin Lin, Chengwei Liu, Feng Wang
Summary: The increasing use of high-voltage transmission wires requires more high-voltage pylons, and sometimes urgent construction is needed in mining areas. This study analyzed the failure mode of high-voltage pylons and evaluated the influence of different mining plans on ground surface deformation using numerical simulations. The research provided a strengthening scheme for high-voltage pylons and monitored the position change in the foundation for a period of 22 months to ensure their safe operation.
Article
Plant Sciences
Anna Olden, Tinja Pitkamaki, Panu Halme, Atte Komonen, Kaisa J. Raatikainen
Summary: The study found differences in the community composition of vascular plants and bryophytes among road verges, mown meadows, and grazed meadows. While many species were found in all three habitat types, meadow specialists were less common in road verges. In contrast, road verges had more forest and ruderal species, particularly bryophytes, and differed in soil conditions from meadows.
APPLIED VEGETATION SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mulalo M. Muluvhahothe, Grant S. Joseph, Colleen L. Seymour, Thinandavha C. Munyai, Stefan H. Foord
Summary: High-altitude-adapted ectotherms can escape competition from dominant species by tolerating low temperatures at cooler elevations, but climate change is eroding such advantages. Studies evaluating broad-scale impacts of global change for high-altitude organisms often overlook the mitigating role of biotic factors. Altitude emerged as the principal factor explaining species composition, and functional diversity was not explained by large scale variables like elevation, but by factors associated with elevation that operate at fine scales.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Alistair D. Galloway, Colleen L. Seymour, Rene Gaigher, James S. Pryke
Summary: The study demonstrates that organic farming in perennial cropping systems like citrus orchards can enhance the diversity of arthropod predators. The increase in biodiversity is related to environmental variables, with remnant natural vegetation positively impacting the diversity of arthropod predators within conventional orchards.
AGRICULTURE ECOSYSTEMS & ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Grant S. Joseph, Colleen L. Seymour
Summary: The debate over whether the Malagasy central highlands (MCH) are natural grasslands or anthropogenic remains unsettled due to discrepancies between the paper and its sources, particularly regarding the proportion of endemic grassland-limited species. As a result, the findings in the paper are currently unsupported, suggesting that the MCH grasslands are likely anthropogenic.
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Grant S. Joseph, Andrinajoro R. Rakotoarivelo, Colleen L. Seymour
Summary: Models aimed at understanding C-4-savannah distribution suggest that high mean annual precipitation supports the transition to forests instead of savannah grasslands. However, recent studies have shown that the relationship between savannah/grassland presence and mean annual precipitation does not hold true in the Malagasy Central Highlands and other continents. Instead, it seems that palaeo-human impacts have influenced the persistence of savannahs in high-rainfall areas, creating tipping points that prevent forest return. A systematic literature review supports the widespread presence of palaeo-human impacts in savannahs globally, suggesting the need to incorporate these impacts into models for better understanding savannah persistence at elevated precipitation.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Lavhelesani D. Simba, James S. Pryke, Francois Roets, Colleen L. Seymour
Summary: This study assessed the impact of arid climate on dung beetle diversity and abundance in the Karoo region of South Africa. The results showed that species richness and abundance were influenced by rainfall and mammalian herbivore stocking rates, while functional diversity was less affected by environmental and management variables. The study also found that as vegetation cover increased and soil content decreased, there was a more even distribution of beetle sizes.
BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Colleen L. Seymour, Grant S. Joseph, Wynand Calitz, Joh R. Henschel, Tshililo Ramaswiela, Helga van der Merwe
Summary: This study assessed the growth of Vachellia erioloba saplings over a 15-year period. The results showed that the height increase of this species varied greatly, while the growth of horizontal canopy was much greater than vertical growth. The study also found that saplings with the fastest increase in horizontal canopy in 2003-2004 continued to grow rapidly over the following 15 years.
Editorial Material
Ecology
Robert E. Simmons, Cotteen L. Seymour
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Grant S. S. Joseph, Colleen L. L. Seymour
Summary: Seventy-five percent of Madagascar is adapted to human-lit fire and lacks trees, consisting mainly of C-4 grasslands. However, the faunal elements referenced by Bond et al. (2022) are predominantly habitat generalists, not grassland specialists. African and Malagasy hippos occupy significantly different feeding niches, and while non-arboreal mammals in Madagascar remained forest-adapted, their African counterparts radiated into open habitats.
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Ecology
Grant S. Joseph, Colleen L. Seymour
Article
Ecology
Liaam Davids, James S. Pryke, Colleen L. Seymour
Summary: Dryland ecosystems are characterized by patchiness in vegetation, and the Succulent Karoo in South Africa is known for its distinct vegetation patches called heuweltjies. These mounds contribute significantly to landscape heterogeneity, but their role in maintaining arthropod diversity has been under-studied.
JOURNAL OF ARID ENVIRONMENTS
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Robert E. E. Simmons, Colleen L. L. Seymour, Sharon T. T. George, Koebraa Peters, Frances Morling, M. Justin O'Riain
Summary: This study investigated the use of open spaces around homes by domestic cats in Africa. It found that cats have larger ranges and may hunt in protected areas, especially in summer. The researchers suggest implementing cat-free buffers of approximately 600 meters around conservation areas to reduce the impact on native fauna.
Article
Ecology
Joh R. Henschel, Suzanne J. Milton, Colleen L. Seymour
JOURNAL OF ARID ENVIRONMENTS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Alan T. K. Lee, Eric Herrmann, Ernst F. Retief, Ester van der Westhuizen-Coetzer, Colleen L. Seymour
Summary: The impact of fire on bird communities is not well understood. This study assesses the effects of a wildfire on bird species richness and density in an arid South African savanna. The results show that bird densities were about 50% higher in unburnt areas compared to burnt areas, driven mostly by granivores. The findings suggest that fires can significantly affect bird communities in arid savannas, and these differences need to be considered in management strategies.
JOURNAL OF ARID ENVIRONMENTS
(2023)
Article
Biology
Colleen L. Seymour, Judith Korb, Grant S. Joseph, Richard Hassall, Bernard W. T. Coetzee
Summary: This study investigates the correlation between the distributions of six African Macrotermes species and climate variables. Three of the species are predicted to experience declines in suitable climate, while range increases are expected to be small for two species and significantly increase for one species. Mismatches in vegetation requirements and habitat transformation may hinder range expansion, impacting ecosystem patterns and processes.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Biodiversity Conservation
Grant S. Joseph, Andrinajoro R. Rakotoarivelo, Colleen L. Seymour
Summary: The frequent human-lit fires in the grasslands of Madagascar's Central Highlands negatively impact food security and biodiversity. Adjusting burning practices and improving education can mitigate this threat and prevent future humanitarian crises.
PLANTS PEOPLE PLANET
(2023)